We were exploring how to make metacognitive thinking more visible for our students, keeping it aligned with our mandate to keep thinking and learning visible, transparent, tangible, critiqueable and accountable within learning spaces.

Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed or down-right prejudiced. Yet the quality of our life and that of what we produce, make, or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought. Shoddy thinking is costly, both in money and in quality of life. Excellence in thought, however, must be systematically cultivated.

Just like anything else that involves human experience or interaction, the act of learning does not happen in a vacuum. It is at the intersection of prior knowledge, experience, perception, reality, comprehension, and flexibility that learning occurs. In years past, the traditional learning paradigms of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism have been the benchmarks against which the learning process has been measured. What happens, though, when you throw into the mix all the technological advancements that have come about over the last 40-50 years? These theories certainly do not become obsolete by any means, but they do need to be used in a very different way to be able to incorporate the attributes of a 21st century learning environment. In today’s technology-rich society, it has become increasingly important to learn how to learn. Vail put it simply by declaring that learning must be a way of being (1996).

Business owners, who run email marketing programs need to keep abreast of the rapid developments in email design, as failing to do so will see their returns rapidly diminish. The elements of design, that now impact on the effectiveness of any email campaign, are more numerous than most would imagine. This ultimate guide certainly highlights the complexities involved, and it serves as a good blueprint, for those who want to stay at the cutting edge in email marketing practices.

Influence marketing and native advertising are gaining popularity as brands continue to shift away from “interruption marketing” and embrace a more customer-centric approach. But in trying to sell without selling, it’s possible brands have made the “soft sell” a bit too soft, disguising advertising as organic influencer posts.

Smart marketers have been extra vigilant about disclosure since the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued an enforcement policy last December. Actually, the truly smart have been tightening up their own disclosure requirements since the FTC updated its online advertising disclosure guidelines in March 2013.

The threat’s been building for years.

The agency’s been beating the drums for a while. Statements, letters and guidelines have warned marketers and bloggers of the oncoming campaign against sponsored content that doesn’t look sponsored: social media posts that don’t clearly state that they’re contest entries, influencer posts that don’t disclose that the influencer received compensation from the brand, etc.....

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in regards to direct selling. Will every DS-related tweet now have to have to use the #Ad hashtag? I understand the consumer protection angle, but that seems like overkill.

In practice, metacognition, or thinking about thinking, is often conflated with reflection, or the conscious exploration of past experiences. Metacognition includes reflection, often called metacognitive awareness, as well as a series of self-directed practices, or metacognitive regulation.

THE New Possibilities To LEARN AND Teach With ICT: First of ALL, WE need to THINK about OUR LEARNers, Students and WHAT skills THEY need to have in the 21st Century, NOT knowing WHICH are THE NEW jobs WHO could emerge, right!?

THE New Possibilities To LEARN AND Teach With ICT: First of ALL, WE need to THINK about OUR LEARNers, Students and WHAT skills THEY need to have in the 21st Century, NOT knowing WHICH are THE NEW jobs WHO could emerge, right!?

When you hear the word “create” or “make,” you might be tempted to think of a tangible, physical product. However, in design thinking, students might design other types of products. So here are some of the types of things students might create.

As more businesses move towards advertising their products or services on social media channels, it is timely to warn newcomers to this space, not to just jump in and start spending an an ad-hoc basis. This is especially important, if one of the key outcome you are seeking, is to direct more traffic to your website in order to increase sales, grow your database, or to simply find out more about your business. This article outlines seven steps you should take to prepare properly, and thereby increase the likelihood of positive outcomes, from any paid social media advertising campaigns that you decide to execute.

For business owners who are constantly on the go, apps designed to work on mobile devices as well as desktop computers, are a gift from above. For cash strapped business owners, free apps enable one to play against much bigger competitors, those who would otherwise appear much more professional and competent. This collection of 10 free apps is well worth considering and then taking action to adopt any that you currently do not utilise.

Bloggers, website owners, marketers, and article writers have one main concern on their minds: how can they create more content in a shorter period of time? It’s not only about quantity, though. We do want more content, butcontent quality matters—we also want to make a greater impact with a single piece.

Not to worry; technology has your back. Here’s a great resource on content marketing and a general introductioninfographic, and below are seven tools that will help you create masterful content....

Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.

Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.

Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.